Dr. Aguilu
is the newest member of our FMG team. He moved here to join his wife, Peggy who
has lived in the Portland area for over 25 years.

Dr. Aguilu
went to the University of Arizona in Tucson, received his undergraduate degree
in biology in 1977 and graduated from the U of A College of Medicine in 1981.
Knowing that he wanted to live in the Northwest, he completed his training at
Family Medicine Spokane, a University of Washington affiliated residency. He
practiced in Spokane at Group Health for two years before moving to Mount
Vernon, Washington where he joined North Cascades Family Physicians, a small,
private office of excellent physicians. In 1995, Dr. Aguilu was recruited by
Central Washington Hospital of Wenatchee, WA to spearhead the development of
CWH Family Physicians. He practiced in Wenatchee for two decades doing,
inpatient medicine, obstetrics and primary care. He served as Medical Director
for the hospital group for 7 years, the chairman of the Family Practice
Department for two and as an instructor for the University of Washington
Medical Student III Family Practice rotation.

In 2013, Dr.
Aguilu moved to Everett, WA where he helped establish the Arlington office for
Community Health Center of Snohomish County. At that time, he married Peggy
Thatcher and for two years they shared homes in Everett and Portland. In the
spring of 2015, Peggy heard that Dr. Harvey was retiring. Dr. Aguilu contacted
FMG, spent a few wonderful days with Dr. Harvey at an Oregon Academy of Family
Medicine conference, met the other providers and felt an instant sense of
common mission. He joined the group and started with FMG at the beginning of
September, 2015.

Dr. Aguilu’s
journey through medicine has been a long one and has forged his philosophy of
healing for the people he cares for. He says “I was eight years old, bored and
fidgety, waiting to see and eye doctor. The kindly office nurse distracted me
with a demonstration of a model of the human eye. When I named the parts back
to her, she commented that I should consider becoming a physician. It was a
path that never changed. By ten, I was riding my bicycle down to the
construction site of the new University of Arizona College of Medicine. By
twelve, I was being ushered out of the medical library because I did not have a
student ID…yet. In spite of my love of music, the outdoors, I was drawn to
medicine by its combination of science and deep involvement in people’s lives.
Good health and even preventive habits were valued in my family and nothing
seemed to be of greater importance. It was an active choice and one I am glad I
made.

“I have been
privileged over the years to work with great mentors. In my ten years at North
Cascades Family Physicians, I learned the business, the skills and, most
importantly, the art of healing. It was a setting very close to the one here,
so joining FMG has felt like coming home. I also have been privileged to pass
that knowledge on, to students and, most importantly my patients. I am a
teacher at heart and if a patient leaves without understanding their health
issues, I have not met the goal of good care.”

Dr. Aguilu
also feels that the concept of the Patient Centered Medical Home is the
embodiment of what he has been doing throughout his practice life…taking
ownership of his patients, their medical issues, seeing that they get
preventive care that makes a difference in the quality of their lives, that
they are a part of their medical decision-making and most of all…know who their
doctor is. “The medical system is complex and confusing, now, even for the most
intelligent and educated patients. I am here to help you navigate through that
system to get what you need.

“Someone
asked me recently why I practice medicine. I joked that it was to make friends.
But when I really think about it…”

Dr. Aguilu
cares for patients of all ages from newborn to seniors. He does office surgery,
including diagnosis and excision of skin cancers and other skin lesions,
contraception including IUD’s, periodic preventive care for men and women
including PAP smears and colposcopy. He has a strong commitment to safe and
effective immunization and welcomes discussion on this issue. He believes in
lifestyle changes as the first tool in lowering risk of heart, vascular disease
and cancer. He uses non-pharmaceutical treatments such as massage, physical
therapy and education, resorting to medication only when that is needed in
addition.

He does not
do inpatient care, but keeps himself informed and coordinates care by hospital-based
physicians and other specialists. He does not do long term pain management
involving narcotics but is willing to work with chronic pain patients to find
alternative methods of pain management, see to their medical and psychological
needs and coordinate care with pain specialists.

Dr. Aguilu
is married to Peggy Thatcher, owner/operator of Bridge City Cleaning for over
14 years. He is blessed with two sons, Danny Aguilu, who works in IT at the
Gates Foundation in Seattle and Tommy, who also works in IT at the Microsoft
Columbia server facility in Quincy, Washington. He has two great step-children,
Julia Thatcher who works in her mother’s business and Daniel Thatcher who is a
poli-scistudent at University of
Oregon.

His favorite
activity is spending time with his lovely wife and family but close ‘seconds’
include fly fishing, performance music (rock to classical orchestra percussion)
and writing. He has several novels in the works as well as fishing memoirs. He
is thrilled to be in Portland with its strong arts and outdoors communities.